What is a trade union?
Source: BECTU
Trade unions are organisations made up of members who come together to look after their interests at work.
The members, usually made up of employees or workers, collectively negotiate with their employers over issues such as pay, health and safety, and terms and conditions like as maternity leave, holiday entitlement or sick pay.
However, as important as terms and conditions are, unions are about much more. At Bectu, we work to progress your career, give you exclusive networking opportunities, and we have a helpful benefits package that can save you money outside of your work life.
Unions also campaign about key issues in society – as members are often affected by them. Key trade union issues currently include Brexit, the climate crisis, and gender equality.
In the past, unions have been at the forefront of campaigns to introduce a minimum wage, making sure workers have fair holiday entitlement and encouraging a healthy work-life balance by reducing the number of working hours in the week.
When a workplace has a formal agreement with a union, the union is said to be ‘recognised’. Where trade unions are recognised, research shows that workers are paid better, are less likely to experience stress and mental health problems, and are less likely to be off work due to sickness.
What does collective bargaining mean?
Once a trade union is recognised in a workplace, the negotiations they have with the employer are called collective bargaining; these negotiations will be regarding terms and conditions of employment. Traditionally Unscripted TV productions have not had the benefit of collective bargaining for production or editorial roles, meaning terms and conditions have been eroded over time. We hope to change that. Bectu has negotiated an agreement for Scripted productions, and we want to do the same for Unscripted productions.
What is industry recognition and is the UTVU recognised?
When an employer recognises a union, it means they have agreed to negotiate with union members and officials on issues regarding terms and conditions of employment. There are two types of recognition:
Voluntary recognition, where the employer agrees to recognise a union without going through legal processes.
Statutory recognition, where the employer agrees to recognise a union after legal standards have been met.